Braven was a surprisingly well made, save for a few eye-rolling moments, suspense-thriller with some solid performances from two bad-asses with Jason Momoa and Stephen Lang as they do battle against low-level drug smugglers. Well worth a rental.

THE MOVIE — 3.75/5

Plot Synopsis: When Joe (JASON MOMOA) and his father (STEPHEN LANG) arrive at their remote hunting cabin, so Joe may talk to him about his behavior following a tragic accident a year before, the tranquil environment is interrupted when they discover a bag full of heroin, stashed there by one of Joe’s logger workers, and the not-so-subtle owners want it back… at any cost. Soon the drug lord and his men descend on the cabin and now the two must fight for survival.

Braven actually was one hell of a good suspense-thriller. The writing isn’t exactly top notch but just taking in the bad-assery that are Jason Momoa and Stephen Lang taking on drug smugglers, oft with brutal results, was the absolute peak of popcorn entertainment, with a dash of emotion with the father-son bond.

Now, while both Momoa and Lang were quite good, the villain, portrayed by Garret Dillahunt, best known to me for his role on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles but has also had an extensive career on other TV shows, was a bit over-the-top at times and not entirely as scary or intimidating as the filmmakers wanted him to be, and one scene in particular, a dramatically pinnacle one at that, did make me chuckle.

Otherwise, the film, directed by Lin Oeding, a stunt coordinator (on such films as Batman v Superman and The Equalizer) marking his directorial debut, does a fine job just delivering a balls-to-the-wall suspense-filled thriller from beginning to… almost end, a finale that went a tad too far into absurdity.

In any case, you don’t often get quality movies with these DTV or VOD releases, but Braven is one well worth checking out and a film that showcases where perhaps Jason Momoa’s career can go outside of the Aquaman character.

SPECIAL FEATURES – 1.25/5

This release includes a matted slip cover and inside is a redemption code for the Digital HD copy. The only feature included is a The Braven’s Views (10:16; HD) featurette.

VIDEO – 3.5/5

Braven is presented with a 2.39 widescreen aspect ratio and given a 1080p high-definition transfer. Not always the sharpest looking picture, the daytime, snowy setting does have a decent pop off the screen and colors did seem well balanced while dark levels, albeit not deep, were still pretty good.

AUDIO – 3.75/5

As with the video, the included DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track might not wow you nor give your surround sound system a workout. Dialogue levels come through with clarity and when the bullets began to fly, there was some fine depth on display from the front and rear speakers.

OVERALL – 3.0/5

Overall, Braven was a surprisingly well made, save for a few eye-rolling moments, suspense-thriller with some solid performances from two bad-asses with Jason Momoa and Stephen Lang as they do battle against low-level drug smugglers. Well worth a rental.

Check out some more 1080p screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.